I Think I See A Glimmer
by Contrary-Miss-Mary
Summary: After a disaster of giant proportions, five survivors must find a way to move past what has happened and into a new future. Red/Jack and Bakerella goodness inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Part One: The Way You Learn To Cope**

**Chapter One**

"... The five travelers finally left the woods and once again found the sunlight, where they hoped to live happily ever after", the Baker said quietly as he reached the crumbled ruins of his house, the unofficial leader of a band of misfit survivors. They were quite a motley bunch: a bloodthirsty girl, an animal-crazed boy, a former princess, and a motherless child; all enchanted by the reminiscent tale of a lonesome baker.

The spell of the story was broken by the appearance of the haphazard cottage, and the group was quickly stopped in its tracks.

"I guess that Witch wasn't lying when she said the giant made a mess of things, huh?" the girl breathed, fiercely scrunching the hem of her skirt in her tiny palm.

The princess gracefully placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, a silent assurance that all would be fine in time. With the help of the boy Jack, the Baker pried open the splintered front door to reveal a kitchen in a shape of utter disarray. Cracked baking pans littered the floor, and the entire room seemed dusted with a thin layer of flour.

"We've a great amount of work to do," sighed Cinderella, breaking the silence. She scanned the room carefully before turning to the others with a delicate smile. "How do you suppose we should begin?"

"I say we should split up, try to find out what we've got to do," Jack spoke up.

The Baker raised an eyebrow and instinctively clutched his son closer to his chest. "Nothing good seems to come from splitting up. Should we not stay together, and see what we can accomplish as a group?"

"We could split up into small groups, so that we have someone to stay with, even if we lose the way!" Red offered. The Baker considered her proposal cautiously, but only agreed to her suggestion after catching a coaxing look from the Princess. "All right," he sighed, "But we will rest tonight."

Sleeping quarters were settled; Cinderella, Red, and the baby would stay in the master bedroom, while the Baker and Jack would sleep in the living room. The groups parted, but not before Cinderella pulled the Baker to the side for a word. "Shall I go off to market tomorrow?" she asked. "We really should see if everyone in town is all right."

"No," the Baker said. "A trip like that would be far too dangerous with the road in such a shamble, and even if the townsfolk are fine, they would never go out after such a scare. We've enough fresh food here to last us a fortnight; then we can go to market."

* * *

The party slept in late the next day, too weary from battle and loss to awaken at a proper time. The Baker woke first, and headed to the kitchen to fix a light meal of squashed pastries. The others groggily came to, and in an hour, all stood together on the living room rug, chattering as they decide what to do next.

Cinderella crossed the room to the wide open doors of the supply closet where a still intact broom patiently awaited her tender touch. As she moved, she said, "I will stay here and begin clearing the house, so we will at least be able to sleep the oncoming week in a clean home."

"I will care for my son, and see to it that he does not cry anymore than need be," the Baker said, tenderly glancing down at the bundle in his arms, still sleeping soundly. Jack, who had somehow found his way to a smashed window, peered curiously out of it and into the remains of a lush garden.

"That witch said that her garden belonged to us now, right? Red and I could go exploring to make sure she didn't leave anything there to hurt us," he suggested, sneaking a hopeful glance at the girl in question.

The very mention of the Witch sent a cool chill down the Baker's spine. He turned sharply to the boy and silently shook his head. Jack's face fell slightly, not expecting a reaction quite so harsh. Red took a step forward, a thoughtful look on her face. "We can stop by Jack's house instead, to see if anything useful survived. I'm think I've passed by it before on the way here, and it really isn't far." She sent a meaningful look to Jack, although he couldn't quite decipher what that meaning was. He nodded feverishly, not willing to let on to his confusion.

The Baker hesitantly agreed and the youths rushed out of the house and down the jumbled road. He softly rocked the baby as he headed off to his old bedroom, sighing at the crib inside. In the destruction of the day before, it had been reduced to little more than a pile of sticks. He fumbled to sit on a pillow in a condition only slightly better than the crib.

_My poor son_, he thought as he stroked the peachy skin of the little cheek. Looking at that peaceful face, he could hardly regret the choices he and his wife had made to bring the child into the world. If only she was here now, she would know what to do. _I wish..._

The Baker never had the chance to make his wish, as Cinderella creaked open the door at that moment to check in on him. "Are you all right?" She asked, tucking a strand of dark hair beneath her dirty headscarf. It was strange for the Baker to see the princess in such a mundane atmosphere, despite her insistence that she was merely a fortunate peasant. He couldn't help thinking that despite all that had happened, she looked peaceful with a broom in hand, and more natural in ordinary clothing.

"I'm fine" he said, with a careful nod. "As fine as anyone could be." Cinderella set down her broom and took a seat beside him. She rested her hand on his shoulder and said,"Thank you for your willingness to accept us into your home. We will all live happily here, I can tell."

The Baker smiled then, for the first time in a while, and the two sat still, gently listening to the baby's quiet coos.

* * *

_**Hallo! Welcome to my new multi chapter! This book is three parts, and I've decided to write a full part before each serialization. Part one has 6 full chapters, and I hope you enjoy them! **_

_**I love to read your comments and critiques, so pleeeeeease leave me some, darlings!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 1**

_**Chapter 2**_

Jack could swear he could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he and Red headed down the dirt road and away from their new house. It must have been from all the excitement from the previous day. Or maybe he was getting sick from the heat. Jack stared at the back of Red's head as her charming ringlets flounced around. He blinked. It had to be the heat.

"We're going to the Witch's house first, right?" Red suddenly stopped and Jack hit her back with a soft thump. Jack looked up sharply, jolted out of his mind by her surprising announcement. The adults surely wouldn't be pleased if they went. Why, they seemed uneasy at the mere mention of the Witch. However, when he relayed this fact, Red frowned and said, "We agreed to break that rule. I mean, you _nodded_." Jack opened his mouth to confess to his earlier confusion, but was instantly halted by a dubious look from Red. He hadn't know this girl for very long, but he already knew that look. He'd seen it once before, and it was certainly not one that pleased him.

"Unless you're too frightened of course. I would want to scare you," she tutted nonchalantly.

Red hit his weak spot, and try as he may, he had no chance of recovery. "I'm not afraid of anything," he scoffed defensively. "And certainly not that Witch. She's gone now, and can do no more harm to us than-than this tree!" He kicked a nearby trunk with the tip of his toe.

"Then it's settled," Red decided with a satisfied smirk." We'll see what we can find at your house, and then sneak over to the Witch's". He was almost too easy to tease, fuming over the slightest doubt of his courage.

The couple walked steadily up a path that grew increasingly more tarnished, Jack leading with a determined march. A triumphant Red trotted closely behind. Loose branches tore at Red's stockings, marring the thin fabric, and a breeze of dirt matted Jack's ruddy hair relentlessly, but still they pushed on.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, they arrived at Jack's old house, or at least what remained of it. What had once been a small, well-furnished cottage was now a small, well-furnished pile of rubble.

Jack stood in his tracks as he saw the house for the first time, and sucked in a sharp breath. Jack took a step toward the grim skeleton of his old life, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. All he could see was a sea of cracked glass and sooty clothes. He felt a sting in his heart, but no tears came. Even after all that had happened, the idea that his house, his home for nearly eighteen years, was gone seemed impossible.

Red nudged a cracked mirror with the toe of her shoe, allowing Jack a brief grieving period. She offered no hand to hold, no shoulder to cry on, but have him the best gift she could offer: silent understanding. She knew what it felt like to see a destroyed home. Whether she realized it or not, her simple gesture helped to soften the edges of his hurt. He shot Red an odd glance: a look of pain and gratitude and something else nearly unnoticeable that he even couldn't have described.

Red caught the funny look, but unable to decipher it, gingerly clucked her tongue.  
"Well, we'd best get started."

-

Jack and Red walked out of the house with an armful each of items only in slight disrepair: A crooked brush, a dented bucket, a sack of flattened gold coins. Much to Jack's dismay, there was no sign of Milky White anywhere. Red supposed she was still somewhere in the woods, although Jack remained doubtful.

As they walked home, Red was struck with realization that they had spent very little time talking that day. Normally, she started squirming after any small lull in conversation, but not today. In fact, the thought that she hadn't been uncomfortable made her more uneasy than ever.

"Hey." Jack started, thankfully breaking the silence. "What do you think will happen to us now? Everything's different than it was yesterday." Red considered consider this, and began with a sincere nod.

"I dunno really. The only thing we can do is keep going. I'm gonna be a grown up soon, and I suppose that means you will be too. Until then, we have the adults, and they'll help us." She stopped to adjust the jumble in her arms before continuing on. "They both seem nice enough, and it's easy to tell that the really care about what happens to us."

"And that's why we're going to go against their rules on the first day, huh?" Jack muttered, just loud enough for Red to hear and ignore.

As the pair arrived back to the Bakers house, they quietly dropped their belongings off at the back door and snuck to the fence separating their house from the Witch's garden. There was a large hole in the wire, and Red quickly wiggle through. Jack had a slight deal of trouble fitting his lanky limbs through the short, squat hole, but he finally crossed to the other side. His suspenders, however, did not fare quite so well. They caught on the ragged edge of the fence, and in his struggle for freedom, launched him face first in the mud. Red doubled over in laughter before tossing him her ragged apron.

"Don't worry if you get it dirty," she smiled with feigned kindness. "That was worth it."

After quickly recovering and giving Red a much deserved ankle kick ("Still worth it," she winced defiantly), Jack looked around at the withered remains of a foreboding garden. His stomach turned as he noticed a crushed pod beneath his boot. Beans.

"Let's be swift, eh?" he said uneasily. Red noticed his voice had fallen into a slight hush, but only offered a positive nod.

Red lead the way past the dark alcoves of the garden, bursting with flattened. She tripped once over some low creeping vines, but was already up and moving by the time Jack tried to catch her. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. Jack looked up to see a mess of a hut, reduced to little more than an island of firewood. Varicolored liquids pooled around shards of broken glass, and empty bags of seeds lay scattered about. As Red rummaged through the dirt with the tip of her shoe, Jack suddenly spotted an ancient looking book in a pile of loose papers. Strange words decorated the sheets, words he'd never seen before. But strangely enough, Jack to almost hear them ringing in his head, and he suddenly knew what they were: magic. Almost as if in a trance, he reached to pick the book up, but was stopped by a hesitant hand on forearm.

"Don't," Red whispered solemnly. "Maybe it's a good idea to go home after all." Despite her initial urging, he could see that she wasn't as comfortable with the Witch as she pretended to be.

Jack stood up quickly, and nodded in agreement. He really did want to know what was out here, now that he'd seen it... but that was an adventure that he would have to take alone. He slipped his hands back into his pockets, and walked beside Red out of the hypnotizing ruins. Neither said a word until they got back to the back of the house. Red picked up her salvaged items before Jack turned to her sheepishly.

"Thanks for coming with me to my house. I mean, I could have handled it by myself, but thanks anyway," he said.

A smirk spread across Red's face, and a rosy glow tinted her dimpled cheeks. "Yeah, well, I'm just glad you have some decent clothes now. You look foolish in those." She fished a knit cap out of her stack, and tossed it squarely on his face. She laughed gleefully before running back into the house leaving Jack alone on the doorstep. He glanced back at the Witch's house, tempting and strange, from over his shoulder before picking up his things and racing inside.

**In all honesty, Jack/Red is where my heart lies, so this was very fun to write! If you have the time, please drop me comment/critique, because they really help me to see what I'm getting right and wrong, so reading this can be more enjoyable for you guys.**

**See ya next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 1**

**_Chapter 3_**

Unfortunately for the Baker and his newfound family, his presumptions were dreadfully wrong; what he had thought would be enough food for a fortnight hardly lasted them a week. It became clear to him on the eighth morning that he had no choice but to head to market. He slipped on his hunting jacket, took the small sack of gold pieces that Jack hesitantly offered, and stuck a folded check list into his pocket.

"Please don't feel that you have to find everything or anything at all on the list," Cinderella insisted. "These are just for a couple of dishes I can fix especially well."

Into the woods the Baker went again, a reunion made far sooner than he would have liked. The Baker's father had built his home in a more rural area of the kingdom, a few miles away from the palace and its surrounding market. This gave him a bit of time to evaluate what had lead him back down this road.

Had it been a wise decision to take his three companions in? It would be treason not to accept the princess of course, and morally horrific to cast away motherless children. But had he the means to provide for a party of five, when he had hardly been able to keep his wife and child well?

The thought of his wife brought a cool stab of pain to his heart. If only she hadn't strayed from the path, then she might still... The Baker shook the foolish idea off. He had never been able to control his wife. He had given up any such ideas long ago, and even after the moment she left, saw her as an equal, a woman to be reckoned with.

The pain of her loss was quite nearly unbearable.

But the memory of her wisdom and her smile steered him through the splintered trees and ramshackle houses and back into the heart of the kingdom.

The sun beat down in sharp rays as the Baker arrived at the outer ends of the market. To his amazement, business seemed to proceed in spite of the disaster, although everyone he saw had the same dull, disillusioned chill in their eye. There were no longer any booths; instead, vendors sold thier few goods on broken furniture and upside-down fruit cartons.

A noticeable amount of people were absent altogether. He doubted the would every return.

The Baker pulled out his small sack of coins and counted the coins inside. One, two, three, four...twenty gold pieces. A years worth of baking supplies would cost five coins, and he would have to continue his business. So that left him enough money for a month or two of cheap meals. The Baker took out Cinderella's list, and read it with a small smile. She included several filling but relatively inexpensive meals, the ingredients all separated by recipe. And alphabetical, no less!

The Baker headed toward the haphazard stand of a man selling wilted vegetables, but was stopped by a familiar voice calling out his name. The Baker turned to see a muscular man with a thick mustache heading toward him. It was none other than his old friend, the Butcher. The Baker reached out his hand for a good-natured shake but Butch, ever emotional in spite of his grisly profession, pulled him into a monstrous embrace. After some quiet objections from the Baker, the larger man finally let him loose.

"You have no idea how relieved I am to see you mate", Butch said in his gruff voice, thumping the Baker on the back. The Baker winced slightly at the thwacks, but continued nodding.

" We suffered only a small loss here, compared to those livin' out near the Woods. Although the palace is in poor condition." The Butcher tutted slightly before dropping his voice to a hush. " I reckon you've heard about the royals, eh? The Princess's family and steward were found a number of miles east, starved to death. The King and the Princess were supposedly lost as well, in the destruction of the palace. The entire kingdom's in mourning."

The Baker felt an odd chill race down his spine. He knew where the Princess was, and it was certainly not in a grave. But with the King's passing, who else could take the throne but the prince? Why, he didn't even have a queen! Somehow, the Baker thought the Prince was far less suited to run a kingdom than Cinderella.

"We've suffered a number of losses as well," the Baker said, thinking sorrowfully of his own wife. "It is a great comfort to see the market running despite recent tragedy."

The men parted pleasantly, and the Baker began to search for the items on his list. Many of Cinderella's suggestions were easy to find, but the quality of the food had decreased, and the price increased. As he carefully searched about, he was intrigued by a series of trumpets he heard floating from the Grand Courtyard. His curiosity eventually got the better of him, and as soon as he completed his purchases, he followed the music.

In the Grand Courtyard, a tiered ledge stood, upon which the Prince smiled brilliantly and spoke to the crowd, his voice dripping with charm. A large cluster of villagers had gathered below, looking up to the beguiling royal with wide eyed fascination.

"...buried her along with my father in the Royal Tomb. As for myself, I take this new position of honor with a heavy, humbled heart. Recent events have left our good kingdom in shambles and our good people in a state far worse. However, I have one sliver of good news to shine some light in this time of darkness." The Prince bowed slightly and stepped to the side, and another person stepped from out behind him. The Baker craned his neck to see a stunning women with sleepy blue eyes and shimmering strawberry blond waves, tinted golden in the sunlight. She smiled dreamily, presenting a solid line of pearled teeth.

"This princess, from a neighboring kingdom, has decided to join with our kingdom and help us survive these troublesome times." The princess slipped her hand into the Prince-no, _King's_ curved arm, with a pretty blush.

"The Princess Aurora and I are to wed in a fortnight, as a symbol of peace and everlasting friendship between our fair nations," He smiled confidently, as though he could already see his wonderful rulership stretching out before him. The audience clapped firmly, but the Baker recognized their confused expressions as the same which painted his own face. Supposing the Princess Cinderella had in fact passed (a detail that the Baker uneasily admitted was false), then shouldn't the King at least pretend to be in mourning, if only for a fortnight longer? To fall in love so quickly after losing your beloved seemed almost criminal to the Baker.

Half indifferent and half disgusted, the Baker turned sharply on his heel and started back into the woods. Away from the twisted fantasy of the royals, he returned to the harsh reality of the thick trees, beckoning for him to reach home before dark.

**I'm back, haha!**

**A note: This wasn't a concern when I started, but I must mention that this is musical verse, NOT movie verse. I'm mostly keeping the ages of the OBC (Ella- 27, Jack-17, Red-16). The only exception is the Baker, who's 35 in this story. I'm basing the "looks" of the characters mainly off of OBC too, but you can imagine them however suits you :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 1**

**_Chapter 4_**

Cinderella felt empty. Darkness surged through her veins, slowly crawling about every inch of her body. She felt empty. Needles of ice pierced her neck, sliced her back, sent shivers up her spine. She felt empty. She saw the baby, ripped from her arms, wailing, and still felt empty. How strange to feel excruciating fear and pain but also feel nothing at all!

Cinderella's eyes snapped open, and she fought back the urge to scream. Sitting up in her bed, she buried her face in her hands. She'd had the same awful dream every night since she's arrived at the baker's house. Darkness. Pain. The child's cry. Emptiness. Cinderella never had nightmares before. So why now, when she was finally peaceful?

How strange indeed.

That morning, Cinderella prepared breakfast for one. The children were off exploring, the baby was taking his morning nap, and the baker was presumably still asleep after a long day at the market. The night before, he'd arrived home very late and very solemn. Cinderella thought of him sleeping soundly, splayed across the couch, and smiled. In sleep, he seemed as innocent and peaceful as his son, but how on earth could that little lump ever replicate the strong chin, the soft curls, the warm eyes of his father?

Cinderella gazed at her own reflection, blurry and warped in her spoon. Or maybe it wasn't warped at all. Maybe that's just how she looked now. Swollen eyes from weeks of poor sleep. Sallow complexion from lack of sun and proper nutrition. As she stared at the sickly woman in the silver, she was suddenly startled by a rustle, and a soft voice.

"You haven't gotten lost in your spoon, have you?"

Cinderella turned and was greeted by a pair of deep brown eyes and a warm smile.

"Good morning to you too," she laughed, motioning for the baker to sit down. "You gave me quite a start! I've never heard anyone get up so quietly." She remembered her stepsisters awaking in fits of rage, screeching insults before they'd even pulled down their sheets.

"Is that so? It seems to me as if you were simply in a trance," the baker said, with a timid playfulness that warmed Cinderella's heart.

Looking down, she said thoughtfully, "Oh, I've just thinking a lot, that's all. Force of habit. I have the strangest tendency to float into dreamland, even when I'm working nonstop." She glanced back up, face aglow. "But enough about me. How was your trip into town? I must confess, I'm painfully curious."

The baker's smile remained gentle, but something somber crept into his eyes. Cinderella felt the loss of light immediately.

"Town is about as devastated as we expected. Homes crumpled in, trees ripped from their roots. And yet," he smiled, "some life still flourishes."

At this, Cinderella couldn't help but beam.

"It's relieving to think that life might be able to move forward, don't you agree? The kingdom will be able to rebuild in better ways. I know it will." She reached her hand out to touch the baker's, determined to send any kind of encouragement to enliven his mood. Yet somehow that dark edge was still in his eyes. Was it sorrow? Embarrassment? Guilt?

The baker opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it. After a second he rose from his chair. "I wish I could speak with you longer, but I saw some rainclouds rolling in last evening, and I'm determined to set the roof before they descend," he explained. Cinderella nodded knowingly as he turned to leave the room.

In the doorway, he paused and looked back toward her. Cinderella was surprised to find that his face was flushed and his eyes shone. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. For all of us. You're worth so much more than the Prince ever could have given you credit for, and it's a privilege to have you here."

Cinderella started at these words, so passionately delivered, and wondered if she'd ever been thanked before.

"Most importantly, thank you for your compassion for my son. I'm still learning what it means to be a father and..." The baker continued his speech, at the mention of the baby, Cinderella's mind once again escaped her. Her nightmares flashed though her mind. The chill on her neck, the darkness in her veins, the emptiness. She was dying inside, she was dead already, she was lost.

She smiled.

"You're welcome."

**Sorry it's been about a million billion years, and sorry for the darkness of the chapter. But plot ranks above fluff, at least in this story! I'll try to update more, I only really get the muse for this story when it's late and I'm procrastinating. But now that I'm in college, that's probably gonna be a lot.**

**Thank you for your loyalty and kindness!**


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